Case Study:
Rethinking Basins: Putting Nature to Work
Pennsylvania was once a landscape of green, but as development altered the land, it also affected the water regime.
Runoff became an issue, so basins were created as a standard "stormwater management" tool. Much like giant bathtubs, basins were designed to fill up in heavy storms and keep water at bay. That was then.
Today, it's pretty well acknowledged that traditional basins are not very effective. The good news is that there are a number of retrofits that can make them perform more naturally and help prevent flooding, filter pollutants, and get water back in to the ground.
Interested in Learning More?
| Over the years, the vast majority of "stormwater detention basins" were designed with flood prevention in mind. Their purpose was to collect runoff from roads, buildings, parking lots and the like, and channel it away from the site and into a nearby stream as quickly as possible. In doing their job, they created erosion and water quality problems downstream. The current thinking about basins calls for slowing the flow of runoff, spreading it out, and enabling natural processes like evapotranspiration and infiltration to return it to the atmosphere or soak it into the ground. The result: better water quality and healthier streams. Our partners at the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, in cooperation with a regional basin retrofit advisory team, have developed a series of simple, low-cost retrofit measures that can be employed to help protect our waterways and control pollution. As an added bonus, they've developed an interactive look at the problems associated with "traditional" stormwater basins -- and the various ways retrofitted basins can Slow, Spread, and Soak the water from runoff. |
  |
Like the Video? Want to Spread its Ideas? Share a Mobile-Friendly Snippet!
Check out these mobile-ready shorts from the case study. Share them directly via newsletters and social media by embedding the Vimeo codes.
Use the QR Code images on signs, postcards, posters and other cool stuff. (You can learn more about how you can use QR Codes in our QR Code Guide)
Whatever you do, please let us know what technique you use, and send us your own great ideas for getting these videos out!
| This excerpt looks at the problem with traditional basins -- and how quick retrofits can make them more effective at protecting rivers and streams. Share the Link to the Snippet: http://bit.ly/SWPARethinkingBasins Share the QR Code:  (click for full-size image) |
Additional Resources:
Pennsylvania Environmental Council
Meliora Design
Natural Lands Trust
Viridian Landscape Studio
